Has living abroad affected anyone’s federal law enforcement application? (USPP)
Hey everyone, I recently interviewed with a federal police agency (USPP), and the interviewer raised a concern about my overseas background and how it could affect the background investigation involving my SF-86.
I spent roughly a decade living abroad, including completing my bachelor’s degree and later working as an analyst for a well-known stock exchange in Europe. I lived in that European country for a little over two years.
The interviewer told me that, over the past two years, some agencies have started treating extensive overseas residency as a significant red flag, potentially serious enough to end an application.
Has anyone with a similar background successfully made it through the hiring process? Did your time abroad cause additional scrutiny, delays, or a disqualification?
I’d appreciate hearing firsthand experiences and whether this varies by agency.